Urban Nature - The Inhabitable Edge

THE CITY LAKES in Copenhagen, Denmark, are a series of man-made lakes between the old centre and the surrounding neighbourhoods. The lakes hold a strong historic and cultural connection as represented in Danish art and have been a popular recreational area since the 1800's .

Although the city lakes have been partially remediated they lack the basic necessary natural features to sustain a healthy lake ecology without continuous maintenance. Each spring, algae begins to bloom and by mid-summer the lake surfaces are covered so thickly that the city has to remove algae regularly. Alongside this, the public edges of the lakes are featureless and boring, with ill-defined paths and very few urban spaces.

The lakes hold the potential to become a high quality natural space in the midst of a dense urban centre. My thesis addresses two main issues with the following:

1. A naturalisation strategy to help the lakes become self-sustaining and support a healthy fish and bird population; and

2. A public space strategy to improve the seating, lighting, and paths surrounding the lakes.

Further to these specific goals, I've proposed a general urban strategy to deal with traffic and green space in the immediate surroundings.

A more detailed digital presentation of my thesis is available to view here.